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1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

>91|.08 


EXPEDITION 


OF  THE 


SIEUR    DE    CHAMPLAIN 


f  ^M 


V 


AGAINST  THE 


ONONDAGAS  IN    1615 


comprising  an  inquiry  into  the  route  of  the  expedition,  and 
the  location  of  the  iro^liois  fort  which  was  besieged. 

Communicated  to  the  N.  Y.  Historical  Society  Oct.   1875 

BY 

ORSAMUS    H.    MARSHALL 

CORKBSl'ONDINi;     MEMllKH    OP  THK  SOCimV. 

jtn  idiliiin  of  loo  itfiii  rtfrintid  friin  advance  ihtcti  of  The  HIito-riial  ff^ritings 

if  Ori.tmui  H,  Marihalt.  > 


1 


.a 


Al 


ALBANY,  W.   J-, 

JOEL  MUNSELL'S  SONS,  81  STATE    ST. 

1885. 


:~>-_  i 


^"i<OT*«ipl 


P97i.08 
M  357^4 


•  •   •  -  *     • « 


•  *  •       •   • <•  •    ,.J 

•  ,* •    • 


^*<wa?*&.: 


; 


f] 


.'  W-...    ,-...->(■:-. 


EXPLANATION. 

The  maiJ  prefixed  is  a  photo-lithographic  fac-simile  of  the 
original  which  accompanies  the  edition  of  the  Voyages  of  Cham- 
plain  in  New  France,  printed  at  Paris,  in  1632. 

The  numbers  89,  90,  93  appear  in  the  original,  and  are  thus  ex- 
plained in  a  table  annexed  : 

89.  Village  renferme  de  4  pallisades  ou  le  Sieur  de  Champlain 
fut  h  la  guerre  contre  les  Antouhonorons,  oii  il  fut  pris  plusieurs 
prisonniers  suavages. 

Translation:  Village  enclosed  within  4  palisades,  where  the 
Sieur  de  Champlain  was  during  the  war  upon  the  Antoulionorons> 
and  where  numerous  savages  were  made  prisoners. 

90.  Sault  d'eau  au  bout  du  Sault  Sainct  Louis  fort  hault  oil 
plusieurs  sortes  de  poissons  descendans  s'estourdissent. 

Translation:  A  waterfall  of  considerable  height,  at  the  end  of 
the  Sault  St.  Louis,  where  several  kinds  of  fish  are  stunned  in  their 
descent. 

93.  Bois  des  Chastaigniers  oii  il  y  a  forces  chastaignes  sur  le 
bord  du  lac  S.  Louis  et  quantity  de  prairies,  vignes  et  noyers. 

Translation:  Woods  of  chestnut  trees,  with  abundance  of  chest- 
nuts and  extensive  nieadow  lands,  with  vines  and  walnut  trees  on 
the  border  of  Lake  St.  Louie. 


\ 


58863 


ti; 


CHAMPLAIN'S  EXPEDITION  AGAINST  THE  ONON- 

DAGAS  IN  1615. 

N  the  year  1615,  there  dwelt  on  the  south-eastern 
shore  of  Lake  Huron,  between  Lake  Simcoe 
and  the  Georgian  Bay,  a  nation  of  Indians 
who  were  called  in  their  own  language,  "  Wen- 
dats,"  or  "  Wyandots,"  and  by  the  French  "  Hurons." 
There  is  no  record  of  their  having  been  visited  by  the 
white  man  prior  to  the  above  date.  In  the  same  year, 
the  Sieur  de  Champlain,  the  Father  of  French  colonization 
in  America,  who  had  entered  the  St.  Lawrence  in  160S 
and  founded  Quebec  five  years  later,  ascended  the  river 
Ottawa  as  far  as  the  Huron  country — Le  Caron,  the  Fran- 
ciscan, having  preceded  him  by  a  few  days  only.  These 
adventurous  pioneers  were  seeking,  in  their  respective 
spheres,  and  by  concurrent  enterprises,  the  one  to  explore 
the  western  portions  of  New  France,  and  the  other  to 
establish  missions  among  the  North  American  Indians. 

The  Hurons  and  their  Algonkin  allies  who  dwelt  on  the 
Ottawa,  being  at  that  time  engaged  in  a  sanguinary  war 
with  the  confederated  Iroquois  tribes  south  of  Lake  On- 
tario, persuaded  Champlain  to  join  them  in  an  expedition 


«'..*L 


4  CHAMPLAIN'S  EXPEDITION 

which  they  were  projecting  into  the  territories  of  their 
enemy.  The  combined  forces  set  out  from  Ca-i-ha-gu6, 
the  chief  town  of  the  Hurons,  situated  between  the  river 
Severn  and  Matchedash  Bay,  on  the  first  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1615.^ 

Crossing  Lake  Simcoe  in  their  baric  canoes,  they  made 
a  short  portage  to  the  headquarters  of  the  river  Trent, 
and  descended  in  its  zigzag  channel  into  Lake  Ontario. 
Passing  from  island  to  island  in  the  group  which  lies  in 
the  eastern  extremity  of  that  lake,  they  safely  reached  its 
southern  shore,  and  landed  in  the  present  State  of  New 
York.  Concealing  their  canoes  in  the  adjacent  woods, 
they  started  overland  for  their  Iroquois  enemies. 

In  an  account  of  this  expedition,  read  before  the  New 
York  Historical  Society  in  March,  1849,  and  published  in 
its  Proceedings  for  that  year,'^  I  endeavored  to  establish 
the  precise  point  where  the  invaders  landed,  the  route 
which  they  pursued,  and  the  position  of  the  Iroquois  fort 
which  they  besieged.  The  fact  that  Champlain  had,  at 
that  early  day,  visited  the  central  part  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  seemed  to  have  been  overlooked  by  all  pre- 
vious writers,  and  was  deemed  to  be  an  interesting  topic 
for  historical  investigation.  Taking  for  my  guide  the 
edition  of  Champlain's  works  published  in  1632,  the  only 
one  then  accessible,^  I  became  satisfied  on  a  careful  study 


'  Champlain's  voyages.     Edition  of  1632,  p.  261. 

^  Proceedings  for  1849,  p.  96. 

^  The  first  account  of  the  expedition  was  published  in  1619. 


■h 


^.i*3;»,».... 


f|i*L 


■^ 


AGAfNST  THE  ONONDAGAS, 


of  the  text  alone,  the  map  being  lost,  that  the  expedition 
landed  at  or  near  Point  de  Traverse,  now  called  "  Stony 
Point,"  in  Jefferson  county,  and  from  thence  proceeded  in 
a  southerly  direction,  and  after  crossing  the  Big  and  Little 
Sandy  creeks  and  Salmon  and  Oneida  rivers,  reached  the 
Iroquois  fort  en  Onondaga  Lake.  I  fully  stated  these  con- 
clusions in  the  communication  above  referred  to,  and  tiiey 
were  approved  and  adopted  by  several  of  our  American 
historians.^  Other  writers,  however,  of  equal  note  and 
authority,  locate  the  fort  as  far  west  as  Canandaigua  lake." 

In  view  of  these  considerations,  I  have  been  led  to  re- 
examine the  subject,  aided  by  additional  sources  of  infor- 
mation, particularly  by  the  late  Abb^  Laverdi^res  recent 
edition  of  all  of  Champlain's  works.  My  present  purpose 
is  to  state,  briefly,  the  result  of  that  re-examination,  and 
the  additional  grounds  upon  which  I  adhere  to  my  former 
conclusions,  I  will  first,  for  convenient  reference,  give  a 
literal  translation  of  that  part  of  Champlain's  narrative 
which  relates  to  the  question.  It  is  taken  from  the  edition 
of  1619,  which  differs  in  a  few  unimportant  particulars 
from  that  of  1632.  After  describing  the  voyage  until 
their  embarkation  near  the  eastern  end  of  Lake  Ontario, 


*  Brodhead's  History  of  New  York,  Vol.  I,  p.  69;  Clark's  History 
of  Onondaga,  Vol.  I,  p.  253  ;  Shea's  edition  of  Charlevoix's  New 
France,  Vol.  U,  p.  28,  note. 

*  O'Callaghan's  Doc.  Hist,  of  New  York,  Vol.  HI,  p.  10,  note  ; 
Ferland's  Cours  D'Histoire  du  Canada,  p.  175;  Parkman's  Pioneers 
of  New  France,  p.  373;  Laverdiire'a  Works  of  Champlain,  p.  528, 
note. 


(] 


r 


/i 


e 


CHAMPLAIN'S  EXPEDITION 


f^ 


a  synopsis  of  which  has  already  been  given,  our  historian 
says ; — ^ 

"  We  made  about  fourteen  leagues  in  crossing  to  the 
other  side  of  the  Lake,  in  a  southerly  direction,  towards 
the  territories  of  the  enemy.     The  Indians  concealed  all 
their  canoes  in  the  woods  near  the   shore.     We  made  by 
land  about  four  leagues,  over  a  sandy  beach,  where  I 
noticed  a  very  agreeable  and  beautiful  country,  traversed 
by   many  small   streams,    and   two   small   rivers   which 
empty   into   the    said    Lake.      Also    many   ponds   and 
meadows,   abounding  in    an   infinite   variety   of    game, 
numerous  vines,  and  fine  woods,  a  great  number  of  chest- 
nut trees,   the  fruit  of  which   was  yet  in   its  covering. 
Although  very  small,  it  was  of  good  flavor.      All    the 
canoes  being  thus  concealed,  we  left  the  shore  of  the  Lake, 
which  is  about  eighty  leagues  long  and  twenty-f^ve  wide, 
the  greater  part  of  it  being  inhabited  by  Indians  along  its 
banks,    and  continued  our  way   by  land  about  twenty- 
five   or   thirty   leagues.      During  four   days   we   crossed 
numerous  streams  and  a  river  issuing  from  a  Lake  which 
empties   into   that   of  the  Entouhonormis.      This   Lake, 
which  is  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  leagues  in  circum- 
ference, contains  several  beautiful  islands,  and  is  the  place 
where  our  Iroquois  enemies  catch   their  fish,  which  are 
there  in  great  abundance.     On  the  9th  of  October,  our 
people  being   on   a   scout,    encountered   eleven   Indians 
whom  they  took  prisoners,  namely,  four  women,  three 


'  Laverdi^re's  Champlain,  p.  526. 


L..!:ij<WL^-^  j/f^K  i/i.H^'f.xtft^a 


AGAINST  THE  ONONBAGAS.  7 

boys,  a  girl,  and  three  men,  who  were  going  to  the  fishery, 
distant  four  leagues  from  the  enemies'  fort.  *  *  The 
next  day,  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we  arrived 
before  the  fort.  *  *  *  xheir  village  was  enclosed 
with  four  strong  rows  of  interlaced  palisades,  composed  of 
large  pieces  of  wood,  thirty  feet  high,  not  more  than 
half  a  foot  apart  and  near  an  unfailing  body  of  water. 
*  *  *  We  were  enc  imped  until  the  16th  of  the 
month.  *  *  *  As  the  five  hundred  men  did  not 
arrive,^  the  Indians  decided  to  leave  by  an  immediate 
retreat,  and  began  to  make  baskets  in  which  to  carry  the 
wounded,  who  were  placed  in  them  doubled  in  a  heap, 
and  so  bent  and  tied  as  to  render  it  impossible  for  them  to 
stir,  any  more  than  an  infant  in  its  swaddling  clothes, 
and  not  without  great  suffering,  as  I  can  testify,  having 
been  carried  several  days  on  the  back  of  one  of  our 
Indians,  thus  tied  and  imprisoned,  which  made  me  lose 
all  patience.  As  soon  as  I  had  strength  to  sustain  myself, 
I  escaped  from  this  prison,  or  to  speak  plainly,  from  this 
hell. 

"  The  enemy  pursued  us  about  half  a  league,  in  order 
to  capture  some  of  our  rear  guard,  but  their  efforts  were 
useless  and  they  withdrew.  *  *  *  *  "phe  retreat 
was  very  tedious,  being  from  twenty -five  to  thirty  leagues, 
and  greatly  fatigued  the  wounded,  and  those  who  carried 
them,  though  they  relieved  each  other  from  time  to  time. 


'  A  reinforcement  they  were  expecting  from  the  Carantouanais, 
who  lived  on  the  sources  of  the  Susquehanna. 


mm 


8 


CHAMPLAIJSr' S  EXPEDITION 


h  I 


On  the  18th  considerable  snow  fell  which  lasted  but  a 
short  time.  It  was  accompanied  with  a  violent  wind, 
which  greatly  incommoded  us.  Nevertheless  we  made 
such  progress,  that  we  reached  the  banks  of  the  Lake  of 
the  EntouhonoroHSy  at  the  place  where  we  had  concealed 
our  canoes,  and  which  were  found  all  whole.  We  were 
apprehensive  that  the  enemy  had  broken  them  up."^ 

I  will  now  proceed  to  examine  the  reasons  which  have 
been  assigned  in  favor  of  locating  the  Iroquois  fort  on  or 
west  of  Canandaigua  Lake.  They  are  three-fold,  and 
founded  on  the  following  assumptions :  1st.  That  the 
Eniouhonorons,  whose  territory  was  invaded,  were  the 
Senecas,  then  residing  on  the  west  of  Canandaigua  Lake.' 
2d.  That  the  route,  as  laid  down  on  the  map  of  Cham- 
plain,  which  is  annexed  to  the  edition  of  1632,  indicates 
that  the  fort  was  on  Canandaigua  Lake,  or  on  a  tribu- 
tary of  the  Genesee  river,  and  consequently  in  the  Seneca 
country.^  3d.  That  the  distances  traveled  by  the  expe- 
dition, as  stated  by  Champlain,  prove  that  the  extreme 
point  he  reached  must  have  been  in  the  Seneca  country.* 

I  will  notice  these  propositions  in  their  order.     1st.  In 
regard   to  the  identity  of  the   Entouhonorons   with   the 


'  Champlain's  Voyages,  Ed.  1632,  Part  I.,  pp.  254-263.    Laver- 
difere's  Reprint  of  the  Narrative  of  1619,  pp.  38-48. 

^  Laverdifere's  Champlain,  Vol.  i,  p.  521,  n.  i.  Parkraan's  Pioneers, 
p.  373,  n. 

^  O'Callaghan,  in  Doc.  Hist.  N.  Y.,  Vol.  i,  p.  10,  u.     Parkman's 
Pioneers,  p.  373. 

*  Laverdi^re's  Champlain,  Vol.  i,  p.  518,  n. 


A  GAINST  THE  ONONDA  GAS. 


9 


Senecas.  One  of  the  arguments  urged  in  favor  of  this 
identity  is  based  on  the  similarity  of  name,  the  Senecas 
being  called  "  Sonontoerrhonons "  by  the  Hurons.  But 
the  latter  called  the  Onondagas  "  Omntaerrhonom"  which 
bears  quite  as  strong  a  resemblance  to  Entouhonorom  as 
the  name  they  applied  to  the  Senecas.  It  may  be  stated 
here  that  O'Callaghan,  Parkman,  Ferland,  and  Laverdi^re, 
each  called  the  tribe  in  question  "  Entouhoro/io?i«," 
whereas,  Champlain,  in  all  the  editions  of  his  works,  refers 
to  them  invariably  as  "  Entoiiho/ioro/is."  He  never  calls 
them  "EntouhomwoTis"  in  his  text.  On  the  map  annexed 
to  the  edition  of  1632,  they  are  named  "  Anioworomm,'' 
but  in  the  index  to  the  map,  "  Anioxxhonoron^r'^  It  must, 
therefore,  have  been  from  the  map,  and  not  from  the 
text,  that  the  word  "  Entouhoronons  "  was  derived.  The 
other  name,  as  uniformly  given  by  Champlain  in  his 
text,  we  must  assume  to  be  correct,  in  preference  to  the 
solitary  entry  on  the  map.^ 

It  is  supposed  by  some  that  the  edition  of  1632,  which 
contains  the  map,  and  is  composed  of  his  previous  publica- 
tions, was  not  the  work  of  Champlain,  and  never  passed 

'  Laverdi6re'8  Champlain,  Vol.  2,  p.  1392. 

*  If  it  be  assumed  that  the  terminations  "  ronons  "  and  "  norons  " 
are  identical,  and  mere  suffixes,  signifying,  in  the  Huron  language, 
"  people,"  see  Father  Bruya's  Mohawk  Dictionary,  p.  18,  then,  if 
those  terminations  are  dropped  from  each  of  the  three  words,  they 
will  respectively  become  "  sonontoe,''^  "  onontae,^''  and  "  entouho,''* 
and  represent  the  names  of  the  places  where  those  nations  resided. 
Now  it  cannot  be  said  that  there  is  any  stronger  resemblance 
between  sonontoe  and  entouho,  than  between  onontae  arid  entouho, 
4 


L 


10 


CMAMPLAIN'S  EXPEDITION 


II  ' 


I 


under  his  personal  supervision.     It  is  asserted  that  it  was 
compiled  by  his  publisher,  Claude  Collet,^  to  whose  care- 
lessness the  error  in  the  name,  as  contained  on  the  map, 
may  be  attributed.     There  was  no  map '  annexed  to  the 
edition  of  1619,  and  the  one  which  accompanied  that  of 
1632  was  not  constructed  until  seventeen  years  after  the 
date  of  the  expedition,  as  appears  from  a  memorandum  on 
its  face.     It  may  not  have  been   compiled  from  authentic 
data.     One  of  the  discrepancies  between  it  and  the  text  is 
its  location  of  the  "  Autouoronojis,"  not  at  the  Iroquois 
fort,  but  a  long  distance  west  of  it,  thus  making  a  distinc- 
tion between  them  and  the  Iroquois  who  were  living  at 
the   fort  that  is  wholly   unwarranted  by    anything   con- 
tained in  the  narrative.     It  is  also  worthy  of  note,  that 
the  map  is  not  once  referred  to  by  Ghamplain  in  his  text. 
Not  only  was  it  constructed  after  all  his  narratives  were 
written,  but  the  index  to  it  was  evidently  added  by  some 
other   hand.     Another   argument   urged  in  favor  of    the 
identity  of  the  Entouhonorona  with  the  Senecas  has  been 
drawn  from  the  existence  of  a  nation,  called  by  Champlain 
^'  Ghountouarouon"  which  is   undoubtedly   a  misprint  for 
"  Ohonontouaronon"^     They   are  described   as  living   be- 
tween the  Hurons  of  Canada,  and  the   Garantouanais  (or 


'  Havrisse.  Bibliographie  de  la  N.  France,  p.  66.  See  also 
Laverdi^re's  Champlain,  pp.  637-8. 

'Shea's  Charlevoix,  Vol.  2,  p.  28,  n.  The  letters  "n"  and  "u" 
occur  frequently  in  Indian  names,  and  it  is  quite  difficult  to  dis- 
tinguish the  one  from  the  other  in  manuscript.  Their  being  often 
mistaken  for  each  other  occasions  numerous  typographical  errors. 


AGAINST  THE  ONONBAGAS. 


11 


Andastes),  on  the  Susquehanna.*  Charaplain  says  that, 
"  in  going  from  the  one  to  the  other,  a  grand  detour  is 
necessary,  in  order  to  avoid  the  Ghonontouaronons,  which 
is  a  very  strong'nation."'  From  the  name  and  location, 
they  can  be  no  other  than  the  Senecas. 

The  Abb4  Laverdiere  assumes  that  the  G/iouontouar- 
onons  and  Entouhonorons  are  one  and  the  same  people."' 
This  cannot  be  true,  for  Champlain  mentions  them  both 
in  almost  the  same  sentence,  and  gives  to  each  their  re- 
spective names,  without  a  hint  of  their  identity.*  Indeed, 
Laverdiere,  in  support  of  his  theory,  is  obliged  to  interpo- 
late a  word  in  the  text  of  Champlain,  which  is  entirely 
superfluous.^  The  identity  of  the  Entouhonorons  with  the 
Senecas,  rather  than  with  the  Onondagas,  cannot  therefore 
be  established  by  any  supposed  similarity  of  name. 

2d.  The  next  in  order  for  consideration,  is  the  route 
pursued  by  the  expedition,  and  the  site  of  the  Iroquoia 
fort,  as  they  are  indicated  on  the  map. 

A  slight  examination  of  the  annexed /ac-*imi7e  of  that 
portion  of  the  original  map,  which  relates  to  this  expedi- 
tion, will  show  it  to  be  wholly  unreliable  as  a  guide  in 
any  investigation  of  Champlain's  route.     It  is  incorrect  in 


'  Jesuit  Relation  for  1648.     Quebec  Reprint,  pp.  46-48. 

'  Laverdi^re's  Champlain,  p.  522. 

'  Laverdi^re's  Champlain,  p.  521,  note  i. 

^Laverdi^re's  Champlain,  p.  909-910. 

•  Laverdi^re's  Champlain,  p.  522,  note  i. 


CHAMPLAIN'S  EXPEDITION 


most  of  its  details.     Although   the  original  exhibits  the 
general  outlines  of  Lakes  Ontario  and  Huron,  Lake  Erie 
is  almost   entirely   ignored,  an    irregular   strait,   bearing 
little  resemblance  to  it,  being  substituted.     Lake  Ontario, 
as  shown  by  the  facsimile  is  erroneously  represented  as 
containing  several  islands  scattered  along  its  northern  and 
southern  shore,  and  the  Niagara  river  as  running  due  east 
into   its  westernmost  extremity.     The   Great  Falls   are 
located  at  the   very  mouth  of  the   river.     Everything  is 
distorted,  and  in   some  places  it  is   scarcely  recognizable. 
The  supposed  route  of  Champlain  is  indicated  by  a  dotted 
line,  which,  crossing  Lake  Ontario  along  a  chain  of  imagi- 
nary islands,   nearly   opposite  the    mouth  of  the    Oswego 
river,  strikes  the   southern  shore  at  that  point.     All  evi- 
dence that  the  expedition  traversed   the  "  sandy  beach  " 
which    stretches   along   the  Lake   shore,  south  of  Stony 
Point,  as  referred  to  in  the  text,  is  entirely  omitted.     From 
the    mouth  of  the   Oswego,   the  line  pursues  a  southerly 
direction,   and   after   crossing   what    appears   to    be    the 
present  Seneca  river,  and  another  stream,  passes  between 
two  lakes   directly  to    he    Iroquois  fort.     This   route,  as 
thus  shown  by  the  map,  is  highly  improbable,  unnecessa- 
rily circuitous,  and  cannot  possibly  be  reconciled  with  the 
text  of  Champlain.^     If  the  expedition  had  gone  as  far 


•1 


'  In  the  facsimile  of  Champlain's  map,  published  by  Tross,  in 
Paris,  the  clotted  line,  where  it  should  cross  Lake  Ontario,  as  shown 
by  the  original  map,  is  omitted.  The  same  portion  of  the  line  is 
also  wanting  in  the  facsimile  published  by  Dr.  O'Callaghan,  in 
Vol.  III.  of  the  Documentary  History  of  New  York,  and  by  Laver- 


A  GAINST  THE  ONON-BA  GAS. 


west  as  Canandaigua  lake,  Champlain  would  have  passed 
near  to,  and  have  become  acquainted  with,  the  existence 
of  no  less  than  eight  of  those  remarkable  inland  sheets  of 
water  which  form  so  conspicuous  a  feature  in  the  scenery 
of  central  New  York,  not  to  mention  three  others  a  little 
further  west.  Only  five  lakes  are  indicated  on  the  map, 
and  none  are  mentioned  in  the  narrative,  except  Oneida 
Lake  and  the  one  on  which  the  fort  was  situated.  They 
would  certainly  have  been  as  worthy  of  description  as  the 
"  sandy  beach,"  •'  the  beautiful  wooded  country,"  "  the 
numerous  streams,"  the  Oneida  '•'  lake  and  river,"  and 
"  the  small  lake,"  adjacent  to  the  Iroquois  fort,  which 
were  met  with  on  the  route  and  noticed  in  the  narrative. 

3d.  It  is  urged,  as  an  additional  argument  against  the 
location  of  the  Iroquois  fort  in  the  Onondaga  country, 
that  the  distance  of  "  twenty-five  or  thirty  leagues," 
stated  by  Champlain  to  have  been  traveled  by  the  in- 
vaders after  they  had  landed,  as  well  in  going  to  as  in  re- 
turning from  the  fort,  necessarily  indicates  that  they  must 
have  gone  at  least  as  far  west  as  Canandaigua  Lake.  It 
may  be  said  that  in  stating  this  distance,  Champlain  in- 
tended to  exclude  the  "  four  leagues  "  which  they  traveled 
over  "  a  sandy  beach,"  immediately  after  they  had  con- 
cealed their  canoes,  thus  making  from  twenty-nine  to 
thirty-four  leagues  in  all.     But  this  cannot  be  a  fair  con- 


di^re,  in  his  recent  edition  of  Champlain's  works.  The  islands  in 
the  eastern  end  of  Lake  Ontario,  as  represented  on  the  original  map, 
are  also  entirely  omitted  on  Dr.  O'Callaghan's/ac-^e/ntVe. 


/ 


«Mi 


14 


CHAMPLAIN'S  EXPEDITION 


Btruction  of  his  language.  He  says,  "  We  made  about 
fourteen  leagues  in  crossing  the  lake  in  a  southerly  direc- 
tion. The  Indians  concealed  all  their  canoes  in  the  woods 
near  the  shore.  We  traveled  by  land  some  four  leagues 
over  a  sandy  beach."  A  little  further  on  he  continues : 
"  All  the  canoes  being  concealed,  we  proceeded  by  land 
about  twenty-five  or  thirty  leagues  during  four  days."  He 
thus  includes  the  "  four  leagues  "  in  the  four  days'  travel 
of  "  twenty-five  or  thirty  leagues." 

The  above  construction  is  justified  by  the  further  state- 
ment, that  the  same  distance  of  "  twenty-five  or  thirty 
leagues"  was  traveled  by  the  expedition  on  its  return 
from  the  fort  to  the  canoes,  referring  to  the  whole  dis- 
tance. "  The  retreat,"  he  says,  "  was  very  tedious,  being 
from  twenty-five  to  thirty  leagues,  and  greatly  fatigued 
the  wounded  and  those  who  bore  them,  although  they 
relieved  each  other  from  time  to  time."  Yet  this  retreat 
must  have  been  accomplished  in  two  days,  half  the  time  it 
took  to  reach  the  fort  from  the  landing,  for  he  states  they 
were  encamped  before  the  fort  until  the  16th  of  October, 
and  reached  their  canoes  on  the  18th.^  Charlevoix  says 
they  did  not  stop  during  their  retreat^ —  a  physical  im- 
possibiUty,  certainly,  if  they  had  started  from  a  point  as 
far  west  as  Canandaigua  Lake.  This  assertion  of  Charle- 
voix does  not  appear  to  be  warranted  by  the  narrative  of 

Champlain. 


*  Laverdi^re's  Champlain,  p.  526. 

*  Charlevoix's  N.  France,  Vol.  I.,  p.  241.     Edition  of  1744. 


AGAINST  THE  ONONDA  GAS. 


15 


Those  writers  who,  relying  on  the  map,  locate  the  fort 
on  Canandaigua  Lake,  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  it  dis- 
charges its  waters  into  Lake  Ontario  through   the  Clyde, 
Seneca  and  Oswego  rivers,  whereas  the  map  places  the 
fort  on  a  stream  which  empties  into   Lake  Ontario  at  a 
point  much  further  west.     In  considering  the  question  of 
distance,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind,  that  the  attacking 
party  was  on  foot,  advancing  cautiously  towards  a  formid- 
able enemy,  in  a  hostile  and   unexplored  country,  desti- 
tute of  roads  and  abounding  in  dense  forests,  numerous 
rivers   and   miry   swamps.      Under   such   circumstances, 
incumbered  as   they  were  with   their  implements  of  war 
and  other  effects,  their  progress  must   have  been  slow. 
The    distances    which    are   given    by   Champlain,    being 
measured  only  by  time,  are  consequently  over-estimated. 
On  their  retreat,  they  had  become  more  familiar  with  the 
country,  and  under  the  stimulus  of  an  enemy  in  the  rear, 
accomplished  their  return   with   much   greater  rapidity. 
From  Stony  Point  where  they  landed,  to  Onondaga  Lake,  ' 
following  in  part  the  beach  of  Lake  Ontario,  is  fifty-three 
miles,  by  the  shortest  j^ossible  line,  as  measured  on  a  relia- 
ble map.     But  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  such  an 
expedition   to   pursue   so   direct   a   course,  owing  to  the 
necessity  of  moving  circumspectly,  and  of  seeking  the  most 
convenient  and  practicable  route   through  an  unknown 
wilderness.     It  would   not  be  unreasonable  to  deduct  at 
least   one-fifth    from    the   number  of    leagues   stated  by 
Champlain,  in  order  to  arrive  at  the  actual  air  line  dis- 
tance between  the  place  where  he  landed  and  the  Iroquois 


J 


■wr- 


16 


CHAMPLAIN'S  EXPEDITION 


fort.^  If,  therefore,  we  take  one-fifth  from  twenty-seven 
and  a  half  leagues,  which  is  the  mean  of  the  two  distances 
given  by  Champlain,  it  will  leave  twenty-two  leagues,  or 
fifty-three  and  a  half  miles,  as  the  true  distance,  measured 
on  an  air  line.  As  an  example  of  over-estimates  by 
Champlain  himself,  reference  may  be  had  to  the  width  of 
Lake  Ontario,  which  he  says  is  "  twenty-five  leagues,"  an 


1 


^  Champlain's  distances  are  stated  in  "leagues,"     Several,  differ- 
ing in  length,  were  used  by  the  French,  under  that  name.     Among 
them  were  the  "  lieiie  de  2)oste  "  of  2-^^^  English  miles  —  the  "  Ueue 
moyenne  "  of  2-i^^  English  miles,  and  the  "  Ueue  cjeoyra^yhiqm  "  of 
S-^^Tj-  English  miles.     It  is  important,  in  discussing  this  question,  to 
determine  the  length  of  the  one  used  by  Champlain.     Neither  his 
narrative,  nor  his  map  of  1032,    affords   any  light  on  the  subject. 
There  is  inscribed  on  a  map  published  in  Paris  in  1664,  entitled  : 
"Le  Canada  fait  par  le  Sr.  de  Champlain  *  *  suivant  les  Memoires 
de  P.  du  Val,"  a  scale  of   Limes  Franccises  chacune  de  2,500  pas 
gioniHriqties."     It  is  fair  to  presume  that  the  length  of  the  league 
as  given  on  this  map  is  identical  with  the  one  used  by  Champlain. 
As  a  geometrical  pace  is  l-^^  French  metres,  or  3^-,j%  English  feet, 
it  follows  that  Champlain's  league   must  be   2/^  English   miles, 
differing  slightly  from  the  length  of  tlie  Heue  de  poste  as  above 
stated.     This  conclusion  would  account  for  the  discrepancy  which 
has  arisen  from  calling  the  old  French  league  equivalent  to  three 
English  miles.     The  English  miles,  stated  in  the  text,  have  been 
computed  on  the  basis  of   two  and  a   half  to   a   French   league. 
Even  if  there  were  three,  it  would  not  change  the  result,  or  carry 
the  expedition  west  of  Onondaga  Lake.     By  reckoning  the  league 
as  equivalent  to  two  and  a  half  miles,  many  supposed  discrepan- 
cies of  early  French  travelers  in  America  are  reconciled,  and  their 
over-estimates  of  distances  explained. 


AGAINST  THE  ONONDAOAS, 


17 


excess  of  one-fifth.^  Also  to  the  circuraforence  of  Oneida 
Lake,  which  he  statea  at  twentj-five  or  tliirty  leagues,"  an 
excess  of  one-fourth.  Numerous  other  examples  migiit 
be  cited. 

It  may  be  interesting,  in   this  connection,  to  compare 
Champlain's  statement  with  those  of  the  Jesuit  Dablon,  who 
traveled  twice  over  the  same  route  in  1G55  and  1656,  under 
much  more  favorable  circumstances  for  correctly  estimating 
the  distances.       He  informs   us  that,  in  company  with 
Father  Chaumonot,  he  left  Montreal  on  the  7th  day  of 
October,   1655,  for  the   Onondaga  country,   and  reached 
"  Otihakvucfui"  (the  mouth  of  Salmon  river)  by  canoe  on 
the  29th  of  the  same  month.^      That   he  landed  the  next 
day,  and   prepjired   to  go  on  foot  to  Ononthtga.     That  on 
the  first  day  of  November,  after  going  ''^  jive  (jood  Iea</ucs," 
he  encamped  for  the  night  on  the  banks  of  a  small  stream. 
Early  the  next  day  he  continued  his  journey  for  ^' six  or 
seven  leagues  and  encamped  for  the  night  in  the  open  air. 
On  the  third,   before  sunrise,   he   resumed  his  way,  and 
reached  •'  Tethlroguen"   which  he  describes  as  "  a  river 
which  issues  from  Lake  Goienho"  (Oneida  Lake),  and  "re- 
markable as  a  rendezvous  for  a  great  number  of  fishermen." 
Here  he  passed  the  night  in  an  Lidian  cabin.     The  distance 
traveled  this  day  is  not  stated,  but  we  may  assume  it  to 
have  been  six  leagues,  which  is  about  the  average  of  the 
other  days.     On  the  fourth  he  went  "  about  six  leayues," 


'  Laverdifere's  Champlain,  p.  527. 

"^  Relation  of  1656,  p.  7.     Quebec  edition. 


./ 


18 


CHAMPLAIN'S  EXPEDITION 


H 


and  passed  the  night  in  an  "open  country,"  ^^four  leatfues,'' 
from  Onondaga.    On  the  fifth  of  November  he  reached  the 
latter  place,^  having  spent  five  days  in  traveling  from  the 
mouth  of  Salmon  river,  a  distance,  according  to  the  narra- 
tive, of  twenty-seven  and  a- half  leagues.    Inasmuch,  how- 
ever, as  the  Iroquois  fort  is  claimed  to  have  been  on  Onon- 
daga Lake,  five   leagues  north  of  the  ancient  village  of 
Onondaga,^  which    the   Jesuit    reached   on    the    fifth   of 
November,  the  said  five  leagues  should,  for  the  purpose  of 
comparison  with  Champlain,  be  deducted  from  the  above 
twenty-seven  and  a-half  leagues.     To  the  resulting  difter- 
ence  should  be  added,  for  the  same  reason,  six  and   a-half 
leagues,  being  the  distance  from  Stony  Point  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Salmon  river,  thus  making,  from  the  said  Point  to 
the  fort,  according  to  the  Jesuit  narrative,   twenty-nine 
and  a-half  leagues,  which  is  a  little  short  of  the  extreme 
distance  of  thirty  leagues  stated  by  Champlain. 

Leaving  Chaumoiiot  at  Onondaga,  Dahlon  set  out  on  his 
return  to  Quebec  on  the  second  day  of  March,  1656,"  over 
nearly  the  same  route,  and  traveled  that  day  Jive  leagues. 
On  the  third  he  rested  on  account  of  the  rain.  On  the 
fourth  he  traveled  six  leagues  to  Oneida  Lake.  Fearing 
to  venture  on  the  thin  ice,  he  spent  the  next  day  on  its 
banks.  On  the  sixth,  it  was  sufficiently  frozen  to  enable 
him  to  cross  at  a  point  where  the  lake  was  a  league  and 

'  Onondaga  was  Hituated  a  few  miles  south  of  the  present  city  of 
Syracuse. 


*  Jesuit  Relation  for  1657,  p.  14. 
^  Jesuit  Relation  for  1656,  p.  35. 


Quebec  edition. 
Quebec  edition. 


;r 


AGAINST  THE  ONONDAGAS. 


19 


a-half  broad.     He  reached  the  mouth  of  Salmon  river  on 
the  eighth,  a  little  before  noon,  consuming  in  travel,  ex- 
clusive of  detentions,  four  and   a-half  day.s.     The  rate  of 
progress,  after  crossing  Oneida  Lake,   is  not  given,  but, 
estimating  six  leagues  as  an  average  day's  travel,  would 
make  twenty-six  leagues  from  the  Onondaga  village  to  the 
mouth  of  Salmon  river.       After  allowing  the  same  deduc- 
tions and  additions  as  in  the  case  of  his  previous  trip,  it 
would  leave  twenty-seven  and  a  half  leagues,  which  is  the 
mean  of  the  two  distances  stated  by  Champlain.    By  thus 
comparing  Champlain's  estimates  with  those  of  the  Jesuit, 
it  will   be  readily  seen   that  the  expedition  of  the  former 
could  not  possibly  have  extended  west  of  Onondaga  Lake. 
Having   thus  examined   tiie  reasons  which   have  been 
urged  in  favor  of  locating  the  fcn't  in  question  on  Seneca 
territory,  founded   on   the  similarity  between   the  names 
which  the  Hurons  bestowed  on  the  Iroquois  and  tlie  En- 
touhmown8,  and   also  the  reasons  for  sucii   location,  based 
on  the  course  of  the  "  dotted  line  "  laid  down  on  Cham- 
plain's  map,    between  the  point  where  he  landed  and  the 
said  fort,  and  on  the  distances  which  Champlain  states 
were  traveled  by  him,  between  the  same  points,  it  now 
remains  to  state  and  consider  the  objections  whicii  exist 
against  placing  the  location  of  the  fort  as  far  west  as  the 
Seneca  country. 

1st.  The  actual  distance  between  the  place  of  landing 
and  the  foot  of  Canandaigua  Lake,  measured  on  the 
shortest  possible  line,  is  ninety-six  miles,  or  thirty-eight 
and   a.half  leagues.     It  would   be  absurd,  however,  to 


/ 


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20 


CHAMPLAIN'S  EXPEDITION 


suppose  that  the  expedition  could  have  followed  so  direct 
a  course.  On  the  contrary,  in  accomplishing  the  distance 
to  the  fort,  it  must  have  passed  over,  as  stated  on  a  pre- 
vious page,  at  least  or.v^fifth  more  than  a  sUaight  line 
between  the  said  points.  This  fact,  without  allowing 
anything  for  Champlain's  over-estimate,  would,  in  case  the 
objective  point  were  Canandaigua  Lake,  make  the  distance 
actually  traveled  at  least  forty-six  leagues,  or  not  less  than 
one  hundred  and  fifteen  miles.  If,  as  is  claimed  by  some 
the  fort  were  still  further  west,  on  a  tributary  of  the 
Genesee,^  it  would  add  several  leagues  more  to  the  diffi- 
culty. 2d.  The  design  of  the  expedition  was  to  attack  an 
Iroquois  tribe  living  south  of  Lake  Ontario.  The  assail- 
ants were  the  Hurons,  living  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the 
lake  which  bears  their  name.  They  started  from  their 
principal  village,  which  was  situated  west  of  Lake  Simcoe, 
on  the  borders  of  the  Huron  country  nearest  to  the  Iro- 
quois.** 

Now,  if  it  were  their  object  to  attack  the  Senecas,  the 
shortest  and  most  feasible  route  to  reach  them  would  have 
been  either  in  a  southerly  direction  around  the  western 
extremity  of  Lake  Ontario,  through  the  territory  of  the 
friendly  Neuter  nation,  who  then  lived  on  both  sides  of 
the  Niagara,  or  by  canoe  directly  across  the  lake,  or  by 
coasting  along  its  western  shore,  landing,  in  either  case, 


*  Laverdifere's  Champlain,  p.  528,  note  i. 

»  Jesuit  Relation,  1640,  p.  90,  Quebec  edition.    Laverdii^re's  Cham- 
plain,  p.  518,  note  i. 


AGAINST  THE  ONONDAGAS.  21 

near  the  mouth  of  the  Genesee  river.     The  fiict  that  the 
expedition  chose  the  circuitous  and  toilsome  route  by  the 
river  Trent,  through  crooked  hikes  and  torturous  channels, 
mvolving  numerous  portages,  and  traveled  eastward  for 
the  entire  length  of  Lake  Ontario,  crossing  its  easteru 
extremity  in  search  of  an  enemy  on  its  south  side,  affords 
a  strong  presumption  that  the  enemy  thus  sought  was 
located  near  that  eastern  extremity.     3d.  If  the  object 
were  to  attack  the   Senecas,  the  Hurons  and   their  allies 
would  hardly  have  chosen  a  route  which   would  separate 
them  so  far  from  their  canoes,  at  the  risk  of  being  out- 
flanked by  the  watchful  and  kindred  Iroquois  tribes  whom 
they  must  pass  on   the  way.     After  crossing  the  eastern 
end  of  Lake  Ontario,  it  would  have  been  much  less  hazard- 
ous and  fatiguing  to  have  coasted  along  its  southern  sliore 
to  Irondequoit  he^y,  from  whence  the  Senecas  could  easily 
be  reached,   as  they  were  by  Gallin^e  in   1669,  and  by 
De  Nonville  in  1687. 

Having  examined  the  arguments  which  have  been  urged 
m  favor  of  the  location  of  the  Iroquois  fort  in  the  country 
of  the  Senecas,  and  noticed  a  iew  of  the  principal  objec-, 
tions  against  it,  some  of  the  affirmative  proofs,  establishing 
its  site  on  or  near  Onondaga  Lake,  remain  to  be  con- 
sidered. 

A  careful  examination  of  Champlain's  narrative  will 
show  that,  as  before  stated,  he  must  have  landed  on 
what  has  been  designated  as  "  Pointe  de  Traverse "  or 
"  Stony  Point,"  ^  in  Jefferson  county.  It  is  the  nearest 
and   most   feasible  landing  from  the  islands  which   are 


J 


^ 


22 


CHAMPLAIN'S  EXPEDITION 


grouped  in  the  eastern  extremity  of  Lake  Ontario,  and 
along  which  the   expedition  undoubtedly  passed  before 
reaching  its  southern  shore .^     It  is  well  known  that  from 
the  earliest  times   the  Indians  and  voyageurs,   as   they 
crossed  the  Lake  in  rough  weather,   availed  themselves  of 
the  protection  of  those  islands.     They  form  a  continuous 
chain,   stretching  from   shore    to   shore,    embracing   the 
Inner  Ducks,  Outer  Ducks,  Great  Galloo,  Little  Galloo, 
Calf  and  Stony   Islands.     The  distances   between   them 
are  unequal,  in  no  case  exceeding  seven  miles.     The  ex- 
pedition could  not  easily  have  landed  directly  upon  the 
point  in  question,  as  it  presents  a  perpendicular  rocky  bluff, 
washed  at  its  base  by  the  lake,  and  forms  a  bold  and  in- 
surmountable barrier  for  some  distance  in  either  direction. 
By  passing  around  the  northern  extremity  of  the  point, 
now  called  "  six  town  point,"  a  safe  and  sheltered  bay  is 
accessible,  at  the  bottom  of  which  is  the  present  harbor 
of  Henderson.     This   convenient  and   secluded    position 
was    undoubtedly   chosen   by  Cham  plain    and   his   com- 
panions as  a  favorable  point  for  leaving  and  concealing 
their  canoes.^     Having   accomplished   their  debarkation, 
the  invaders  followed,  for  four  leagues  in   a  southerly 


'  Champlain  says,  "  There  were  large,  fine  islands  on  the  pas- 
sage."— Zaverdiire's  Champlain,  p.  526. 

"  A  natural  landing  place  of  rock  formation,  existed  there  in  olden 
time,  known  as  the  "Indian  Wharf."  A  trail  or  portage  road,  300 
rods  long,  led  from  the  landing  to  Stony  Creek.  See  French's  N.  Y. 
State  Gazetteer,  p.  358.  MS.  letter  of  the  Hon.  Wm.  C.  Pierre- 
pont,  of  Pierrepont  manor,  to  the  author. 


f 


AGAIJ^ST  THE  ONONBAGAS. 


23 


# 


direction,  the  sandy  beach  which  still  borders  the  lake  as 
far  south  as  Salmon  river.     It   is  about  six  and  a-half 
leagues  from  Stony  Point  to  that  river.     The  many  small 
streams  and  ponds  mentioned  by  Champlain  can  easily  be 
identified  by  the  aid  of  a  correct  map.     The  "  two  small 
rivers"   are  undoubtedly  those  now  known  as  the  Big 
Sandy  creek  and  Salmon  river.     The  invaders  were  four 
days  from    the  time   of  their   landing   in   reaching  the 
Iroquois  fort.     The  narrative  states  that  after  passing  the 
two  small  rivers  above  mentioned,  "  they  crossed  another 
issuing  from  a  lake,  which  empties  into  that  of  the  Entou- 
honorons."^     This  undoubtedly  refers  to  Oneida  river  and 
Lake.      "  This    Lake,"    says   the   narrative,    "  is  about 
twenty-five  or  thirty  leagues  in  circumference,'-  contains 
beautiful  islands,    and  is  the  place  where  the   Iroquois 
catch  (heir  fish,  which  are  there  in   abundance."    After 
crossing  Oneida  river,   the  scouts  encountered  and  cap- 
tured a  party  of  Iroquois^  "  going  to  the  jisher\j,  distant 
four  leagues  from  the  enemy  8  fort"     This  locates  the  fort 
four  leagues  south  of  the   outlet  of  Oneida  Lake.     The 
latter  point  was  always  a  noted  resort  for  Salmon  fishery 
in  the  early  history  of  the  country.     It  is  so  refened  to  in 
one  of  Dablona  Journals  above  quoted,  and  in  many  other 
early  narratives. 

The  expedition  must  have  met  the  party  of  Iroquois, 
which  included  women  and  children,  not  far  from  the 
fishery   and   the   village,   which   were    only   about   four 


'  Lake  Ontario. 

*  These  dimensions,  are,  as  usual,  over-stated. 


/ 


•^''rry-His:^ 


24 


CHAMPLAIN'S  EXPEDITION 


li 


/ 


leagues  or  ten  miles  apart.  They  were  probably  going 
from  the  latter  to  the  former.  This  was  on  the  9th  of 
October.  On  the  next  day,  at  3  P.  M.,  they  reached  the 
fort.  It  would  have  required  two  or  three  days  more 
time,  and  sixty  miles  more  of  hard  marching,  to  have 
arrived  at  Cananduigua  Lake. 

It  is  impossible,  from  the  meagre  details  given  by 
Champlain,  to  ascertain  the  precise  locality  of  the  fort. 
He  places  it  near  a  small  lake,  and  there  is  no  site  more 
probable,  nor  one  which  corresponds  in  more  particulars 
to  Champlain's  description,  than  the  banks  of  Onondaga 
Lake.  The  late  Joshua  V.  H.  Clark,  author  of  the 
"  History  of  Onondaga,"  states  that  traces  of  an  ancient 
Indian  fortification  were  discovered  by  the  first  settlers, 
on  the  east  side  of  that  lake,  near  the  present  village  of 
Liverpool.  These  may  have  been  the  remains  of  the  fort 
in  question.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  Monsieur 
Dupuis  and  his  companions,  including  several  Jesuit 
missionaries,  occupied  the  same  locality  in  1656.  It  is 
described  by  the  Jesuits^  as  a  beautiful,  convenient  and 
advantageous  eminence,  overlooking  Lake  Gannentaa 
(Onondaga  Lake)  and  all   the  neighboring  country,  and 


'  On  the  first  settlement  of  the  country,  the  outlines  of  a  fortifica- 
tion at  this  point  were  plainly  visible,  of  which  a  sketch  was  made 
in  1797,  by  Judge  Gedcles,  then  Deputy  Surveyor  General  of  New 
York.  A  copy  is  given  in  the  second  volume  of  Clark's  Onondaga, 
page  14V.  A  spring  exists,  at  the  present  time,  near  the  site  of  the 
fort,  called  Gannentaa  Spring. 


AGAINST  THE  ONONDAGAS. 


25 


abounding  in  numerous  fresh  water  springs.^  Its  dis- 
tance from  the  chief  village  of  the  Onondagas,  where 
burned  from  time  immemorial  the  ancient  council  fire  of 
the  Iroquois  Confederacy,  is  stated  to  be  four  leagues, 
which  would  indicate  that  its  location  must  have  been 
near  Liverpool.  ' 

It  is  also  supposed  that  the  Count  de  Frontenac  en- 
camped in  the  same  place,  when  he  invaded  the  Onondaga 
country  in  1696,  and  that  Col.  "Van  Schaick  occupied  the 
identical  ground  while  on  his  expedition  against  the 
Onondagas  in  1779.*^  It  was  a  position  which  undoubtedly 
commended  itself  to  the  sagacious  Iroquois  as  eminently 
suitable  for  a  defensive  structure,  and  was  thus  early 
used  for  that  purpose. 

In  the  discussion  of  this  question,  I  have  endeavored 

fully  and  fairly  to  present  the  points,   and  to  give  due 

force  to  the  arguments  which  have  been  urged  in  favor  of 

^     the  identity  of  .the  Entouhonorons  with  the  Senecas,  and 

of  the  location  of  the  Iroquois  fort  in  the  territory  of  the 

t  latter.     It  is  submitted  that  the  weight  of  testimony  is 

decidedly,  if  not  conclusively,  against  those  propositions, 

and  that  we  must  look  on  the  banks  of   the  Onondaga 

i  Lake,  in  the  heart  of  the   central  canton  of  the   great 

Iroquois  Confederacy,  for  the  site  of  that  rude  fortification 

I  which,  more  than  two  centuries  and  a  half  ago,  so  bravely 


'  Relation  1657,  p.  U.     Quebec  edition. 

*  Clark's  Onondaga;  •ypj.-.l{p-:2.5e':\'  •{•'•.'.•   ■ 


«  1 1 

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•'«r%jii**ss:rTi" 


26 


CHAMPLAIN'S  EXPEDITION- 


and  succeesfully  resisted  the  allied  Hurons  and  Algonkins 
of  the  north-west,  aided  by  Champlaiu  and  his  firearms, 
and  after  repeated  assaults  and  a  siege  of  several  days 
compelled  the  assailants  to  abandon  the  enterprise,  and 
retreat  ignominiously  from  the  Iroquois  country. 


I 


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